The FN Browning Hi-Power, also known as the Grande Puissance or GP, is a single action semi automatic pistol chambered in 9mm Parabellum, designed by John Moses Browning and Dieudonné Saive and manufactured by Fabrique Nationale d'Armes de Guerre (FN) in Herstal, Belgium. The Hi-Power was adopted by the Belgian military as the Pistolet Automatique Browning FN Modèle à Grande Puissance in 1935, becoming one of the first military service pistols to employ a staggered column magazine with a 13 round capacity. The pistol operates on a short recoil, locked breech system using a cam lug beneath the barrel to disengage the barrel from the slide during the recoil cycle. Pre-war Belgian military contract pistols are distinguished by tangent rear sights graduated to 500 meters, frames machined with a slot in the backstrap to accept a detachable wooden shoulder stock holster.

This example is a pre-war Belgian military contract Hi-Power featuring the tangent rear sight, slotted frame, and circled H acceptance markings present on the front left of the slide, center left of the slide, frame, trigger, and barrel. The barrel, frame, and slide carry additional Belgian proof and inspection marks, including the flaming bomb ordnance mark on the barrel. The pistol has been carefully refinished, leaving all markings legible and intact. It is fitted with checkered walnut grips, the interior surfaces of which bear red paint. Accompanied by one 13-round magazine, no additional accessories included.

Specifications

• Manufacturer: Fabrique Nationale d'Armes de Guerre (FN), Herstal, Belgium
• Model: Browning Hi-Power (Grande Puissance)
• Caliber: 9mm Parabellum
• Action: Single action, semi automatic, short recoil locked breech
• Barrel Length: 4.65 inches
• Frame: Carbon steel, slotted for detachable shoulder stock
• Slide: Carbon steel
• Grips: Checkered walnut, red paint on interior surfaces
• Sights: Blade front, tangent rear graduated to 500 meters
• Safety: Frame mounted thumb safety
• Magazines: One 13-round magazine